Belgium: CEDA Announces Opening of WODCON XX

CEDA announces that the leading dredging event WODCON XX, to be held in Brussels, Belgium, will open its doors on 3 of June.

Dredging is essential to maintaining and improving our quality of life and economic well-being. This is achieved through creating and maintaining water-based infrastructure such as ports and navigation channels, creating new land for housing, business and recreation, providing minerals and construction materials as well as offshore oil, gas and green-energy. Not many people know that dredging also plays an important role in enhancing environmental quality through careful removal of contaminated sediment layers and via creating and enhancing natural habitats.

Dredging is now a multidisciplinary, high-tech field, where scientists and engineers from industry, academia and government work together closely to ensure that dredging projects will be designed and implemented in a sustainable manner.

The single most important world-wide forum for experts to discuss the latest advances in science and technology is the triennial World Dredging Congresses also known as WODCON. WODCONs are organized by the World Organisation of Dredging Associations, which is composed of three independent, international professional not-for-profit associations: the Western Dredging Association (WEDA) serving the Americas, the Central Dredging Association (CEDA) serving Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and the Eastern Dredging Association (EADA) serving the Asian and Pacific region.

WODA delegates the responsibility of organising WODCONs to one of its three member dredging associations, the one in whose region the congress takes place. CEDA is delighted to host and organise this coming event in this prestigious series of world congresses for the world-wide dredging community.

WODCON XX will take place from 3-7 June 2013 in Brussels, Belgium. The congress will kick off with Mr Kris Peeters, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, which is supporting the event, welcoming delegates to the country.

Mr. Peeters will give the word to two high profile experts from other parts of the world to tell about landmark projects in their respective countries and the impact of these projects on their region and the world: Mr David McGillewie, Deputy Chief Engineer of Transnet National Ports Authority of South Africa will tell about capital dredging in the ports of his country and Mr Rogelio A. Gordon, Head of Dredging Operations of the Panama Canal Authority will speak about the Canal expansion.

The core of the congress is the technical programme, an exceptional concentration of knowledge and experience. It will showcase around 100 peer reviewed technical papers by experts from all over the world. The speakers will address the design and execution of dredging projects and tools from mathematical models to machines – a combination of knowledge, understanding and skill. The programme will also include a highly interactive session “The Dredging Debate” during which participants will be challenged to consider and take a stance about some of the so called hot dredging topics of today.

The technical sessions will be complemented by a dredging exhibition where more than 43 leading companies from 12 countries will cover a wide spectrum of products and activities, including dredgers and mining vessels of all sizes, equipment, software for oceanographic services, satellite-based positioning systems, rubber hoses, winches and steering gear, dredging instrumentation and automation systems, offshore marine engineering, vessel repairs, hydrographic and geotechnical surveying, and measuring and monitoring systems.

Before WODCON XX will close the WODA Principles of Sustainable Dredging, the agreed statement of the three sister associations will be presented by the chairman of the WODA Environment Commission (also chair of the CEDA Environment Commission) Polite Laboyrie.

“’To be sustainable, today’s dredging projects extensively draw on science and technology and the pace of development is incredible. Experts must stay abreast with all that to be able to do their job well. While a lot of information is available on the internet, nothing can replace face-to-face discussions and debate. That is why events like WODCONs that provide an independent forum for such an exchange are essential” said Anders Jensen WODA Chairman and CEDA President.

“Dredging is playing a significant role not only for navigation and trade, but also for flood control, shore protection, generation of renewable energy and climate change mitigation measures in general. This is the leitmotiv that is going through more than 100 WODCON XX presentations”– said Eric van den Eede, the chairman of the WODCON XX Executive Committee.

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Press Release, May 24, 2013